Certification

Who really pays for LEED certification?

August 23, 2012 Joseph Maguire

Obtaining LEED certification costs a lot of time and money. The resources required are not limitless and are generally diverted from other uses, though that seems impolite to discuss when pursuing sustainability.

But LEED certification does not, of course, add to a property’s sustainability. Rather it confirms, or certifies, that objective sustainable criteria have been met. If anything, the high costs of LEED certification divert funds that may be otherwise be spent on sustainable materials or systems.

In the end, the high cost of LEED ultimately comes from somewhere….or someone.

Green parking, chicken houses and bankers

July 31, 2012 Joseph Maguire

Beginning in 2011, parking structures were deemed unworthy of attaining LEED certification owing to the fact that they are, after all, chock full of those pesky cars.

So great the sin of enabling the proliferation of hydro-carbon fueled vehicles that no amount of energy efficient lighting, designated stalls for alternate fuel vehicles, reduction of heat island effect and countless other ways to make a parking structure more sustainable has lowered the upturned nose of the USGBC.

How do you like them Apples?

July 12, 2012 Stan Samuel

Apple recently announced it will not certify its products with EPEAT. EPEAT is a non-profit organization that certifies “environmentally preferable products”. It is also a program that is backed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

EPEAT would affect Apple’s sales to some governments and educational institutions which require EPEAT certification as a prerequisite for purchase. But how does this affect Apple? According to the blog Apple and EPEAT: What it means the sale of Apple computers to government and educational institutions is a tiny fraction of Apple’s total sales. The real market lies in the consumer market which demands products like their ultra-thin MacBook Pro. According to a Wall Street Journal blog Apple Removes Green Electronics Certification From Products, this laptop design requires the battery to be glued to the case, making disassembly and recycling difficult. This causes the computer to fall behind EPACTS stringent recycling requirements.

Can Governments Really Afford LEED?

May 21, 2012 Joseph Maguire

There seems a refreshing change in the air questioning municipal, state and federal agency mandates to LEED certify new structures under their purview.

No one finding their way here will question the environmental and social good–even a social demand–for building green by our public sector. But in the midst of budget crises resulting in spending cuts at every level of government, the high cost of obtaining LEED certification (some 10 times higher than SERF, often more) is beginning to raise fiscal eyebrows.

Paying (and paying) for the LEED Label

May 8, 2012 Stan Samuel

As mentioned in past blogs, the burdensome cost of LEED certification–measured in both time and money–lies in consultant fees and documentation. A very reliable study commissioned by the US General Services Administration (GSA) proves the point.

The GSA is an independent federal agency responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of federal facilities, including courthouses, office buildings, land ports of entry, and research facilities.

GSA commissioned this report to identify the incremental cost of LEED certification for two buildings: A new mid-rise federal Courthouse and a mid-rise federal office building modernization. The report analyzed both the incremental construction costs as well as soft costs–i.e. LEED-based documentation and consultation fees.

Governments Distort Decision Making

March 21, 2012 Joseph Maguire

We are often asked about government incentives or subsidies associated with SERF certification. After all, it’s no secret that LEED and others go to great lengths to get written in to the code.

We see at least 3 problems with that, the first of which is hidden cost. Municipal, county, state and national lobbying to secure favors comes at a stiff price and is one of the many factors behind the high cost of other certifications.

Moreover, the notion of artificial incentives–all government incentives are artificial, lest why would they exist–runs counter to our aim of Practical Environmental Stewardship™. Put another way, common sense solutions do not require subsidies–they work on their own! [Read more…]

Tagged With: Certification, LEED

Practical Environmental Stewardship

March 9, 2012 Stan Samuel

While rummaging through a pile of green building literature, looking for material to write my first blog around SERF’ s mission of Practical Environmental Stewardship ™, I learned of 330 North Wabash’s recent SERF certification. 330 N. Wabash is the last American design of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and is one of Chicago’s finest architectural gems. The owner/manager’s commitment to this goal makes this vital structure an exemplary model of SERF’s mission.

The level of intrusive retrofit that can be performed to green a historic and iconic structure is severely limited. Renovation of any nature must be performed without altering any of its historic features. The management could be forgiven if they didn’t attempt a green renovation given the complexity involved, but they did! Innovation on their part revealed the existence of several affordable, high impact and low intrusive greening strategies.